The field of the disclosure relates generally to unmanned vehicles and more particularly to powered unmanned aerial vehicles.
Unmanned vehicles require energy to operate, and are periodically refueled, repaired, and maintained to continue operating. To increase the availability of unmanned vehicles, it is desirable to minimize the time for ingress/egress, refueling, maintenance, and repair. Beamed power systems may eliminate the need for a vehicle to return to base for refueling or recharging. Moreover, in the case of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), beamed power systems can also reduce landing/takeoff cycles. Thus, beamed power systems can reduce the amount of maintenance and repair for a UAV.
However, the use of known beamed power systems may be limited. At least some known beamed power systems direct a beam at an unmanned vehicle while it is moving, and as such move the beam to follow the movement of the vehicle. Beam steering generally requires precise, complex moving components for optical systems or mechanically-steered microwave systems, and complex, expensive electronics for phased array microwave systems. Such steering systems add costs, weight, vulnerability, and complexity to a beamed power system.
At least some other known beamed power systems include a fixed beam source and a vehicle that is coupled to a set of wires or rails that constrain the movement of the vehicle to ensure it remains positioned within the beam. However, because the vehicle is unable to move away from the beam, use of such systems is limited. Other known systems use a fixed beam source to illuminate a vehicle that is not physically tethered with wires or rails. However, in such systems, the vehicle has a propulsive geometry, i.e., predetermined optics and aerodynamics, which ensures the vehicle remains centered in the beam. Again, such systems are limited as the vehicle is unable to move outside of, or operate outside of the beam.